Quantum Entanglement
by licensedtowrite
Summary: AU, cophine, multi-chapter. Quantum entanglement: the greatest love story ever told. Why? Because quantum entangled electrons are literally bound for life, one cannot live without the other. Someone once said, "I believe that love is a quantum entanglement of consciousnesses." Cosima falls in love with a scientist, but when amnesia takes their memories, can their love survive?
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

There are souls that are bound from their creation. They are forged with the same stardust, illuminated with the same light, and they travel the universe in a quantum entanglement that holds them in an eternal bond. However, this bond is not impervious. Inevitably, these bonded souls manifest in human forms. They may be separated by language, or distance, or age, but one will undoubtedly find the other.

This is a story of one of those pairs, of their obstacles, of their fight to find each other, and of their love.

Chapter 1: The Dreadlocks Effect

Cosima.

"I just don't believe in soul mates." Cosima sat patiently as her hairdresser dragged a brush through her dark locks.

"Not even a little? Well, aren't you the romantic." Julie, Cosima's longtime hairdresser, replied, slightly disappointed.

"What can I say? You know me, show don't tell. It's just scientifically preposterous." Cosima said apologetically.

"Yeah, well, love is scientifically preposterous." Cosima opened her mouth to reply, but Julie was right. Scientists understand love about as much as they do black holes-they're aware of its existence, but its inner workings remain an alluring mystery. Cosima nodded, now deep in thought.

"You're gonna look great in dreads, I can't wait to see the end result."

"Me neither, it was time for a change, you know what they say about those who don't adapt." Julie laughed, "I don't think hairstyle was what they had in mind when they talked about 'adapt or die'."

"Maybe not, but I'm a strong believer in the butterfly effect. Who knows, these dreads could change everything."

"Then I better not mess them up," Julie smiled at Cosima in the mirror, "Glasses off." Cosima removed her glasses and relaxed into the chair. Soul mates, she thought, preposterous.

* * *

***A couple weeks later***

Cosima paused at the tea section of aisle 6 in the local supermarket. She was in the mood for something with a kick in it. Her eyes settled on a box of green tea, which happened to be on the second shelf from the top.

"Damn," Cosima said to no one in particular, "why do they have to make these shelves so high." Cosima approached the wall of tea and reached up on her tiptoes, but as she touched the little green box she was after, she only managed to push it further back from the ledge. Cosima let out a frustrated sigh, admittedly a bit louder than she intended.

"Need some help?" Cosima turned to see a noticeably tall redhead gesturing to the higher shelves.

"Oh, yeah, yes, please." Cosima smiled awkwardly, silently cursing her inadequate height. She received the green prize from the woman with a thank you.

"No problem," she smiled, "And nice dreads by the way."

"Oh thanks!" Cosima subconsciously reached up to run her hand over her relatively new do. She saw Redhead's eyes flick to her wrist with a look of curiosity, but before Cosima could check her arm for any irregularities, Redhead said, "Is that a nautilus tattoo?"

"Huh, oh yeah. Biology's kinda my passion so..."

"Really? Are you studying it in college?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm evo-devo. I'm working on my doctorate right now."

"That's awesome," Redhead extended her hand, "I'm Lynne Shielman, I've done a lot of my research in evolutionary development. Right now I'm working on the influence of gene expression on the beaks of-"

"The beaks of Darwin's finches, yeah! I've read your papers. Wow, what an honor. I'm Cosima by the way, Cosima Niehaus." She said taking Shielman's hand while her other hand flew around like she was conducting an orchestra.

"Nice to meet you Cosima. So, you've read my work?"

"Oh yeah, who hasn't? I mean as far as biologists go. Your breakthroughs in molecular regulation were absolutely inspired. In fact, it's one of the reasons I went into evolutionary development."

"Thank you, wow, that's great to hear. It's nice to see someone with so much enthusiasm and passion for their field," Shielman paused in thought, "You know, I'm on a team of coordinators for a convention this summer, the annual Biological Innovations of this-"

"The 'B.I.O. this year' convention, yeah! Yeah I've heard of it." Cosima couldn't help herself from finishing Shielman's sentence.

"Right! Well, if you think you can make it to Canada this summer, and if you're interested, I could reserve you a spot on the registry."

"Interested? Of course! That would be, that would be great."

"Right, well, here's my card," Shielman pulled out a small business card from her purse and handed it to Cosima, "just give me a call and remind me to reserve the spot. I'll give you all the dates and locations then."

"Great! Thank you." Cosima shook her hand once more before they parted. In the mood to celebrate, she picked up some wine and Eskimo pies before checking out. Scott was going to be so jealous. Cosima smiled, she was going to the B.I.O this year convention, holy watershed.

* * *

***That summer***

Cosima meandered around the carousel at baggage claim looking for her red suitcase. She could barely believe she was in Toronto. She had saved up enough for the trip in just a few months (she didn't want to eat ramen noodles for at least eight years now), and now she was finally here. She couldn't help the grin that spread over her face, she must have looked pretty odd to her fellow travelers.

Cosima opened the door to her suite in the fancy schmancy hotel the convention had all but filled with reservations. Cosima was just thankful there was a discounted price, this place _smelled_ overpriced, and she wasn't looking to go bankrupt for a fancy hotel room.

Cosima barely had a chance to put her bags down before her room's phone rang.

"Hello?" Cosima bounced on her queen sized bed while she listened for a response.

"Hello, Cosima Niehaus?"

"This is she."

"Hi, I saw you just checked into one of our convention rooms. I've been asked to inform all attendees that there has been a slight alteration to the schedule. The presentation 'experimental cloning with human cells' has been moved to this afternoon at two o'clock in the grand ballroom."

"Oh, thanks! I was looking forward to that one."

"You're very welcome , enjoy your convention."

"I will, thanks." Cosima hung up and glanced at the provided alarm clock, 1:00.

"Crap!" Cosima jumped up and began stripping to jump in the shower. She was going to be late.

Pinning up her dreads in a neat bun, Cosima all but ran out of her room to get to the presentation. She jumped on to a half-full elevator and went to push the button to go to the ground floor, but it was already lit.

Cosima was staying on the twelfth floor, and of course two-thirds of floors one through eleven also wanted to go down, so Cosima waited impatiently as the elevator stopped again and again. The stairs would have been quicker at this rate, Cosima thought.

Cosima sighed with relief when they finally made it to her stop. She shuffled out behind half the elevator's occupants before splitting off to follow the signs to the ballroom. When she finally found it, she quietly opened the door and tiptoed behind the back row of chairs.

She looked up at the presenters, who were currently displaying a PowerPoint denoting the topic of the presentation. She noticed the current speaker, a tall man whose hair had obviously seen better days, and whose face had a constant conspiratorial expression. Behind him, Cosima noticed a blonde, okay she noticed her legs, well, at first anyway. She was wearing a black pencil skirt and a pastel yellow blouse, complete with a black blazer. And then, Cosima saw her face-

"Shit" Cosima threw her hands out in front of her to brace her fall, she had tripped over someone's bag on her way to an open seat. The sneaky looking speaker paused and eyed the clumsy scientist. Cosima jumped up and straightened her dress trying to ignore the burning in her cheeks. She smiled to show she was all right.

"Er, are you okay miss?" The man on stage put her on the spot as she clambered to the seat she had originally been aiming for.

"Uh, yeah, you're presentation just literally knocked me off my feet." Cosima shot back. The crowd let out a collective chuckle and Cosima couldn't help noticing the pretty blonde smiling right at her. Somehow her cheeks got even hotter.

Delphine, that was her name. Dr. Delphine Cormier. Her part of the presentation outlined the possible problems with large scale cloning, including cell deterioration and tissue degeneration, and she was _french_. God, she was french. Cosima's brain went back and forth from listening intently to the brilliant research they had conducted, and observing Delphine, her hair, her neck, the way she bit her lip habitually...

The presentation concluded and the audience applauded enthusiastically. After a few minutes everyone was up and chatting about what they had just heard, or their own research, or catching up with old friends. Cosima stood awkwardly, not knowing where to go or who to talk to. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted blonde curls lingering at the refreshments table at the back. Cosima paused for a second to come up with an excuse to go bother the doctor, before making her way to the table.

"Hi, Dr. Cormier?" Cosima made out like she wasn't sure that was her name, trying to hide the fact that she'd spent the better part of the last hour pronouncing it to herself in her head.

"Yes, but please, call me Delphine." Delphine smiled, holding out her hand, and Cosima took it, accidentally holding her breath as she focused all her attention on what Delphine was saying and not the warmth of the soft hand in her own.

"Okay Delphine, I'm Cosima." She smiled.

"Enchantée Cosima."

"Enchantée."

* * *

**Author's Note: Firstly, I am not a biologist so I apologize for any mistakes on the science parts. I got all my info on it from a PBS article interviewing Cliff Tabin. Secondly, I know the intro was a bit cheesy, but quantum entanglement semi-inspired this story so I had to include it. Please please please let me know what you think. I'm planning on making this a long fic and I'd love some feedback to know if I'm aiming in the right direction. Let me know if I should continue it. Thanks for reading! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow I want to thank everyone who read chapter 1. Thank you for your comments and support, whenever I got writer's block I jumped over to read your guys' encouragements and it got me through. I decided to post two chapters today because you guys are so awesome. Hopefully I'll have another one out in a couple days. **

**I do not own Orphan Black or any of the characters.**

Chapter 2: Three Scientists at a Convention

Cosima swayed a bit too much as she laughed at a particularly cheesy joke Delphine had made. She was beginning to feel a bit tipsy, and her laughs were growing louder. She had been chatting with Delphine for at least half an hour now. They had started out discussing the research, but five minutes and a glass of wine later, and Cosima was quizzing Delphine on every idiom she'd heard in her twenty-eight years of life.

"Wait, wait, I thought of another one-raining cats and dogs." Cosima threw the expression at Delphine with a mischievous grin. Delphine cradled her wine glass and pursed her lips in thought.

"Euuh, does it refer to a bickering government?" Delphine contorted her face into an expression of obvious self-doubt. Cosima squinted, mouth hanging open a second while she tried to work out what possible thought process had led Delphine to come up with such a guess.

"Wha-, how did you, oh my-" Cosima burst out laughing in sudden realization, wrapping her arm around her waist to brace herself, "R-A-I _raining_ cats and dogs, not reigning like ruling." Cosima was almost doubled over now.

"Quoi?" Delphine slipped into more and more French with each glass of wine she downed. "That makes even less sense, how could it rain cats and dogs, what is that trying to insinuate?" Cosima paused to consider this.

"You're right, it's supposed to mean it's raining heavily, but you're explanation is actually a lot more sensible. But that's English for you." Delphine grinned at Cosima, and Cosima noticed her own eyes were slipping down to the blonde's very kissable lips far more often than would be considered appropriate.

"Hello ladies." Cosima's eyes flew to the voice's familiar speaker. The man Cosima had come to know as Dr. Aldous Leekie had appeared with his characteristically sly smile plastered to his face. Leekie's eyes flicked to Cosima's and recognition flashed in his.

"Ah, the girl I knocked off her feet. I see you've made a full recovery."

"I said it was the presentation that knocked me off my feet, not you." Cosima challenged the man, perhaps a bit too abrasively, but she was annoyed by the uninvited intrusion to their conversation. Delphine's eyes widened slightly in surprise and amusement, although she tried to hide the latter. Leekie didn't miss a beat though, "Good, a scientist who can finally resist my devilish good looks and disarming charisma."

Cosima knew he was joking, but nonetheless she found his retort off-putting, still, she smiled politely in return. She was suddenly feeling very sober though; she was beginning to think this Leekie was the human equivalent to dunking your head in ice water, but very slowly so you don't realize until your screaming for air.

"Aldous!" Cosima looked over her shoulder, trying to match the familiar voice to a face. Dr. Shielman emerged from a nearby group and made her way to Cosima's side.

"Oh! And Cosima, good to see you again. And I see you've met Dr. Leekie and Dr. Cormier."

"Yes, their research is fascinating."

"You two know each other?" Leekie cocked his head in question. Cosima got the impression he was someone who had to know everything, not in a thirst for knowledge kind of way, but rather a cannot-stand-to-feel-like-I'm-missing-something kind of way.

"Yeah we met on accident back in Minnesota, she's the one who got me into this convention. If it weren't for her I wouldn't even be here."

"Well, I was very taken by her enthusiasm. In fact, she'd make a great candidate for your research team Aldous." Shielman offered. Leekie sized Cosima up with his eyes, as if he were seeing her anew.

"What do you say Cosima? Do you share an interest in experimental cloning?"

"Well, experimental evo-devo is kinda my thing. I find the whole prospect of cloning fascinating. And can you imagine the research opportunities cloning could open up for biology in general? The whole nature VS nurture thing just to start..." Cosima's hand were swirling around, underlining and italicizing her words as she spoke. Tired of looking at Leekie's blank (save for his permanent tight-lipped smile) face, Cosima turned her gaze to Delphine, who was toying with her lip, until her grin was too big to allow for such lip biting.

Delphine's beaming just encouraged Cosima's ramble. She would have gone on forever, but halfway through her tangent on organ regeneration through embryonic stem cells, Dr. Sheilman interjected, "I told you she was passionate."

She smiled at Cosima, who let her hands-which were still awkwardly held in the air-drop to her sides. She felt her cheeks warm as she stared at her feet. Even at a convention full of biologists she still felt like the awkward dork droning on and on while people's eyes glazed over.

Cosima felt a small nudge in her upper arm and she looked up to see Delphine offering her a small smile. Cosima brightened unwittingly.

"Did you read the paper on spinal cord replication for paraplegics?" Delphine almost whispered, forcing Cosima to lean in until their faces were only inches apart, while Shielman and Leekie started their own conversation on research funding, which sounded more suited for a business administration convention.

"Okay, can you read minds? I was literally two sentences away from bringing that up." Maybe Cosima had finally found her intellectual equal, not just in IQ, but in avidity as well. She was enjoying Delphine's breath ghosting her lips when Leekie inserted himself again.

"Cosima, have you ever been to Toronto before?" Cosima grunted a no, not trusting herself to speak without revealing her irritation. Something about the man irked Cosima in a way she was not used to.

"Hm, perhaps a convention veteran should give you a personal tour." Cosima clenched her jaw, expecting him to volunteer himself for the cause.

"Delphine, would you mind lending some of your time to act as a Toronto tour guide for the weekend?" As much as Cosima loved the idea of spending the weekend with Delphine, she resented how Leekie had put her on the spot.

"Oh, no, that's really not necess-"

"I'd love to." Cosima looked to see her interrupter smile at her with a sidelong glance.

"Marvelous, I guarantee it'll be a fun time. Toronto is a wonderful city."

"Yeah I've heard." Cosima mumbled, still admiring her new tour guide's profile.

"Well, I'll let you two make your plans. I really should be going anyway, late afternoon meeting." Leekie tapped his watch. "It was nice seeing you again Lynne, and nice meeting you Cosima." He shook both their hands and bid a final adieu before making his exit. Dr. Shielman soon followed, mentioning something about seeing an old colleague.

"So," Cosima pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, a nervous habit, "Do you have anything in mind?"

"Hmm, oui, meet me in the lobby tomorrow at ten."

"Ten in the morning ten?"

"Oui, is that okay?"

"Oh, yeah totally. But, fair warning, I'm kinda always late so, kinda always sorry." Delphine giggled and Cosima felt her heart migrate to her throat.

* * *

"Three clones in one city, don't you think this is a risky situation?" Leekie sat perfectly still, hoping his question hadn't offended her in some way.

"Two clones." She corrected, not even turning to look at Leekie from her position by the high rise window. "The,_ soccer mom_," she emphasized the words, her voice sounding like the face people make when they accidentally touch wet food when washing dishes, "is in Scarborough. She never comes to the city."

"Oh, right, yes of course."

"Do you know the odds of two clones accidentally bumping into each other in a city the size of Toronto?" The woman's proper English accent had a unique intimidation to it. It was calm, but her rigidity revealed she was anything but relaxed. She struck Leekie as someone who could plunge a knife through a heart with a straight face, and proceed to attend a dinner party as if nothing had happened.

"Highly unlikely." Leekie fidgeted his hand nervously. The blonde finally swiveled on her heels to face the doctor, a small smile turning up her lips. It looked disturbingly out of place on her.

"Yes, highly." She approached her desk and sat, rearranging pencils and paper that had become skewed over the course of the day. "Your orders remain the same, collect data and samples and ensure the clones do not become self-aware. Are you still capable of performing these duties?"

"Absolutely."

"Marvelous. You may go." Leekie rose and began to head toward the exit, "Oh, and Aldous? Don't screw this up." Leekie nodded solemnly and exited.

Rachel looked out over the Toronto skyline once more from her seat. Leekie had been right, of course. There were three clones in the city, but Rachel would not, could not, bring herself to consider herself one of them. They were below her, every single one of them. They may share a face, but the similarities end there.

"They're lab rats in _my_ experiment," she mumbled to herself, "puppets attached to _my_ strings. No one studies me, no one _controls_ me. Not anymore, not on my terms."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Et voilà, chapter 3 as promised. This one's pretty fluffy. If you liked these chapters, or if you didn't like them and know how I can approve, please let me know in the comments. Thanks.**

**I do not own Orphan Black or any of the characters.**

Chapter 3: Cosima's Adventures in (Canada's) Wonderland

Cosima bounced on her feet in anticipation as the elevator began its descent to the lobby. It was a sunny day so she had taken the risk of wearing her blue A-line dress, along with a gold necklace. Just as the elevator pinged to alert Cosima of its arrival at their final destination, Cosima was hit with a wave of anxiety about spending the whole day with Delphine. Cosima had always had a relatively high self-esteem, but cute girls always managed to make her a bumbling, self-conscious mess.

Cosima stepped foot into the lobby and checked her watch, 10:06. She scrunched her face in disappointment, she'd gotten up early and everything. It was almost as if the universe bent time to ensure she was consistently tardy.

"Cosima," Cosima looked up to see Delphine waving at her from across the room. She was wearing jean shorts with a tucked in casual white tank top that made Cosima's knees weak. She sent Delphine a dorky smile in return and walked over to greet her, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically at ease. She was beginning to think it was impossible to feel uncomfortable in Delphine's presence.

"Hey Delphine."

"Bonjour, are you ready for adventure number one?"

"Totally, where are we headed?"

"Well, that depends. You don't happen to have any unusual phobias, do you?"

"Unusual? Unusual like how?"

"Oh, you know," Delphine smiled the way people do before they open the door to a surprise party, "heights, fast speeds, fried food, being upside down..." Cosima cocked her head, pulling her eyebrows together in question.

"No... Wait. Wait are you taking me to an amusement park?" Cosima's eyes lit up in excitement and Delphine could no longer contain her grin.

"Maaaaybe..."

"You are!" Cosima was now beyond thrilled, "You are the best tour guide ever."

It was only a forty minute drive from their hotel in Toronto to Canada's Wonderland, and by the time Cosima could see the towering coasters from the car she was practically bursting in anticipation.

"I haven't been on a roller coaster since my senior trip in high school." Cosima noted as they got out of the SUV Delphine had rented.

"Senior trip?"

"Oh, yeah, most high schools have a fun going away field trip for seniors. Mine went to Disneyland. They actually closed the whole park and only let in high school seniors from around the state. It was pretty awesome."

They reached the gate with the ticket sellers and Delphine insisted on paying for the both of them. Cosima put up a fight, but eventually agreed under the stipulation that she would pay for any food they got. She figured a day's worth of overpriced theme park food would make them about even.

They were about fifteen steps into the park when Delphine stopped them and pulled a little bottle out of her bag.

"We should put on some sunscreen," Delphine gestured to the bottle.

"Oh, yeah, obvs. I burn easier than microwaveable popcorn." Delphine giggled and Cosima realized it was a laugh unique to her. It was the only laugh she'd ever heard that actually _sounded_ like happiness, that felt like happiness. And it was contagious too.

Delphine poured some of the waxy white liquid into Cosima's palm and they took a moment to spread it over any exposed skin.

"Could you help me with my back and shoulders?" Cosima faltered, barely resisting the urge to look over her shoulder and ask 'Me?'.

"Yeah, sure." Delphine gave her the bottle and turned around, gathering her hair up to expose the back of her neck. From the outside, Cosima appeared completely unfazed, but inside she could swear her ribs were about to break from her heart pounding them so hard.

She rubbed it in on Delphine's shoulders before moving to the base of her neck and accidentally, completely unintentionally, she squeezed. Her hands froze, emphasizing the weird moment. A nanosecond later though, Delphine let her head fall slightly to the left, relaxing her shoulders as she let out an exhale. Feeling emboldened, Cosima squeezed again, slower, before quickly rubbing in the rest of the whiteness.

"All done." Cosima said, rubbing her hands and trying to look as nonchalant as possible.

"Thanks, want me to do you?" Cosima nodded a yeah and turned, pulling her dreads to the side. Once again, Cosima found herself holding her breath as she tried to relax into the hands kneading her back.

After a few rides and some very hilariously timed mid-ride pictures, Cosima was as relaxed as ever. Every once in awhile, though, their arms would graze or their shoulders would bump, or they'd turn to look at each other at the same time with nothing to say, just looking at each other, and at those times Cosima became very aware of the irregular rhythm coming from her chest.

Delphine suddenly stopped walking and pulled out a map of the park, holding it out for both of them to look at it.

"Which ride do you want to go to next?" Cosima scanned the paper and noticed the log ride was relatively close by.

"What about that one?" Cosima said, pointing to the aforementioned ride. Delphine turned to look at Cosima, eyebrows raised. "What?" Cosima questioned.

"Nothing, but I hope you don't mind getting wet." Cosima took it as a dare.

"I'm not scared of a little water." Delphine smirked at the obvious challenge in Cosima's voice.

"Me neither." Delphine replied, and with that they headed toward the line to wait.

They had both known they would be getting wet, but they didn't realize they would be _soaked_. The splash at the bottom of the hill could be more accurately described as a wall of water, which the log (and all of its inhabitants) were forced to phase through.

Cosima and Delphine exited the ride, adjusting their clinging clothes and matted hair. Cosima finally found a dry spot of material on her dress to dry off her glasses with and turned to look at Delphine. She almost halted as she saw Delphine's torso through her now almost see through white shirt.

"Uh, Delphine, I think you wore the wrong shirt for that ride..." Cosima gestured shyly to Delphine's top.

"Yes, I think I'm beginning to realize that." Cosima's brain couldn't decide where to put her eyes. Her vision flew from a tree to a bench to Delphine's abs to a refreshments stand to Delphine's bra to a bird picking at a churro to Delphine's tensed back muscles. Cosima's brain buffered a good half a minute before she remembered the bag she had brought with her.

"Wait, hold on." She stopped and unzipped her bag, pulling out a black zip-up hoodie. "I wasn't sure if it'd get cold so I brought this just in case." She said, offering the jacket to the now shivering Delphine. Delphine lit up appreciatively.

"Thank you, you are a, what is it, a life saver?" Cosima nodded in confirmation.

"No problem." Cosima glanced at her watch as Delphine slipped on the hoodie, which Delphine noticed smelled distinctively like Cosima; it was 1:30. "Hey I'm starving, wanna get some food?"

"Mmm, yes. I'm in the mood for something outrageously unhealthy." Cosima grinned.

"As an American, I can proudly say that outrageously unhealthy food is the food of my culture, so prepare yourself for a schooling."

"Oh yeah, and what is the first item on the menu?"

"Well, I guess we should start with the classic, although not quite the best. The epitome of amusement park food: the fried twinkie." Delphine made a face of both fascination and justifiable wariness at the suggestion.

"That sounds...intersting."

"Yeah, it's alluring in the same way bungee jumping is: it sounds terrifying, it is terrifying, but in the end you enjoy it a little and you get to say you did it and survived." Delphine let out a snort at the comparison and Cosima beamed.

It took nearly an hour of walking for the greasy food to settle in their stomachs enough for them to feel safe riding again. While they walked they talked about everything from biological breakthroughs to what their hometowns were like to their favorite movie. By the end of it, Cosima felt closer to her than she did to any of her friends back in Minnesota, not that she was close to anyone in Minnesota.

There was something about Delphine that got Cosima to open up, maybe it was the way she listened intently to all of her babbles as if Cosima was preaching the answers to the universe, or maybe it was because Delphine _understood_ the babbles, and contributed to them, and even babbled a bit herself. Perhaps it was the way Delphine looked at her like she'd known her for years, as if Cosima was just obliging Delphine's insistence on familiarity. In fact, Cosima was feeling completely understood for the first time in her life, she felt complete.

Every once in awhile she would acknowledge these feelings to herself, and immediately dismiss them. She'd only known the woman for two days, people don't feel this way after two days. The feelings either weren't real or Cosima was going crazy, or... Or she had actually found someone worthy of these feelings and she'd waited too long to postpone them any longer...

Cosima physically shook her head as she dismissed the thought. She looked anywhere but at Delphine, as if her face alone would give away what she was thinking. Cosima spotted a huge coaster coming up on their right, and she even saw a loop-de-loop and corkscrew on it.

"Hey Delphine, are you up for that?" Cosima pointed to the ride called 'Dragon Fire'. Delphine smiled saying, "That one's my favorite."

The line was pretty long, the sign of a good ride. The closer they got though, the more nervous they felt. Delphine had ridden it half a dozen times before, but the intimidating structure sent adrenaline into her blood every time.

When they finally got the chance to board they were dead silent, placing all their attention on not freaking out. After a minute Cosima finally broke the silence.

"You know, I used to be afraid of roller coasters. One afternoon I looked up videos on roller coasters breaking down and I didn't ride on anything riskier than the spinning teacups for years. I mean I understand the statistics of-"

"Cosima you're rambling." Delphine didn't say it like she was annoyed by it, rather, she was just making Cosima aware of the fact.

"Right, sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Delphine paused, "Are you as scared as I am right now?" Cosima glanced at her.

"That depends, are you terrified." The ride jolted forward suddenly and began climbing the first hill. Cosima felt a sudden warmth in her hand and looked down to see Delphine's in her own. She squeezed, hard, and Delphine matched her grip as they rocketed into the first loop.

Delphine didn't let go until they had to unbuckle their selves from their seats, and Cosima's hand didn't stop burning from the contact for even longer, and as they walked through the park near the end of the day, Cosima found the urge to reach out and hold Delphine's hand more and more irresistible.

Cosima held out the cotton candy they were sharing, holding the cone with one hand and plucking off wisps of pink to plop in her mouth with the other. They were about halfway through the pink cloud when Cosima's eyes registered the huge Ferris wheel coming up in front of them.

"Hey! Let's go on that." She said pointing. Before Delphine could respond in words, Cosima had grabbed her hand and was jogging them towards the wheel.

Cosima felt like a teenager again. In fact, the whole day, from the crappy food to the roller coasters to the falling for someone in the time it takes for food to digest, felt like a revisit to her adolescence. It was exhilarating and freeing and, when it came to the falling for someone part, terrifying.

They were about halfway up the wheel when the sun began to settle itself into the horizon. Delphine snuggled up into Cosima's hoodie, which she still wore over her shirt. They reached the top just as the sky melted into the kind of display of oranges, pinks, and purples that painters dream of. Next to her, Cosima felt Delphine relax, slumping slightly against Cosima. Cosima smiled, as the slight contact sent warmth throughout her body, not in the way it did when she blushed after putting sunscreen on Delphine's back, but like the feeling of drinking hot chocolate on a cold winter day.

"Today way really fun." Cosima said, smiling at Delphine.

"Yeah, it was."

Cosima's heart didn't settle down until she finally found sleep that night, and even then, her dreams were filled with blonde curls and soft hands in her own.

* * *

"I don't know Beth. I think I agree with Alison on this, it's too risky." Sarah ran a hand through her hair and reclined into her chair at Felix's loft, their usual meeting place when Paul was in town.

Beth paced, a bit exasperated, "Look I know it's risky all right. But we may not get another chance like this." She stopped pacing so she could face the other two clones fully. "Leekie is _here_, giving talks about the wonders of cloning," she said the last part with a sharp edge of cynicism. "For all we know, Leekie is the head of the snake. And the snake is here, possibly keeping very informative files in his hotel room."

Alison cut in, "And how exactly do you plan on breaking in to the snake's hotel room?" Beth paused, caught off guard. Once again, Alison's practicality had bolstered a hole in her plan. She paused in thought for a second.

"I'm a cop. I have a badge-"

"Yes, but if the hotel staff contacts your department and asks what you're doing snooping around, what will you say?"

"I won't go through the managers. I'll go while housekeeping is doing their rounds. I'll tell one of them that the managers gave me a key card to search it, but it isn't working. I'll flash my badge and they'll let me in." Alison gritted her teeth while she worked her jaw. Anything that put Beth in danger put her on edge, but with that last retort she was running out of ways to stop Beth with logic and reasoning. The plan actually had merit.

Sarah let out a puff of air and leaned forward, resting her forearms against her thighs. "All right, you've convinced me, I vote yes."

"And obviously I vote yes for my own plan." Beth said, looking right at Alison.

Alison closed her eyes and subconsciously brought her hand up to dance along her chin, a nervous habit she had picked up years earlier.

"Well..." Beth said, waiting.

"You have two out of three votes, you don't need mine." Alison spat calmly.

Beth huffed and grabbed her coat off the chair where she had strewn it upon entry, "Well I'm going home. I'll tell you how it goes." She slid the door shut behind her, almost slamming it.

"Oi, you a'right?" Sarah offered in her thick accent.

"I'm fine, Sarah." Alison stood up and collected her things before leaving the loft, still rather upset.

"What a mess." Sarah said to herself after everyone had left. She got herself a beer from the kitchen and reclined back on the couch, trying to forget this was her world.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I almost died tonight, I sat writing this chapter for hours only to have it suddenly disappear. Thankfully, it showed up again in a new browser window for no reason at all. Anyway, thank you all for your wonderful comments, and since I'm tired as all hell I didn't revise this as much as I usually would like, so sorry if it's not the best.**

**I do not own Orphan Black or any of the characters.**

Chapter 4: Lions and tigers and doppelgangers, oh my!

Delphine.

Delphine awoke in a haze. Light filtered in through the window, casting stray streaks of warmth over her covered form. For some time she lay, her conscious untouched by thought, but soon memories found their way into her mind. Water drenched clothes, fried twinkies, laughing, smiling. Slowly, her slightly upturned lips stretched into a full smile. She remembered a joke Cosima had told her, how it hadn't made any sense to Delphine, but how the way Cosima laughed at it like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard had made Delphine laugh right along with her. The memory made Delphine elicit a quick exhale resembling a snort, but softer.

She rose slowly, taking care to track the time though, not that Cosima would mind if she were tardy. In fact, she probably wouldn't notice, since she would almost certainly be late as well. Delphine didn't mind though.

Dressed in white pants and a loose black blouse, Delphine began making her way to the lobby. She checked the clock one last time before leaving, 11:00. She made her way down the hall to the elevator, passing a housekeeper, and then, barely noticing another person rounding the corner towards her. She looked up as the person passed her, just glancing her face, but she saw enough to stop, confused. Without thinking, she turned and called out, "Cosima?" She paused, but the girl neither responded nor made out like she had heard anything at all.

"Cosima?" She called again, even though she knew that it was almost certainly not the girl she had spent yesterday getting to know. Even so, Delphine could not help herself as she began following the brunette. The girl rounded the next corner and Delphine could have sworn she saw the girl quicken her pace. Delphine turned down the hallway the girl had disappeared into but she was gone. She craned her head and waded farther into the hallway a few steps before shaking her head and turning to return to her original mission.

Delphine recalled the girl's face as she rode the elevator to the lobby. Her hair was straight and plain, devoid of any dreads, and her eyes were unobstructed by any spectacles, but Delphine was convinced her face had been that of Cosima's.

Her thoughts continued to dwell on the odd experience until Cosima entered her sights, stepping off the elevator uncharacteristically on time. Even then, she continued to compare the two faces.

Cosima greeted her with a smile that almost made Delphine forget the strange encounter, almost.

* * *

As they made their way to the cafe they would be eating brunch at, Delphine couldn't help herself from bringing it up.

"Do you have a twin?"

"What? No, why?"

"This morning, I was walking to the elevator and I saw someone who looked just like you. I mean, different, but the same." The last part came out as a question, as if saying, 'you know?'

"Huh, weird." Delphine could tell by Cosima's face that she had captured her attention. "Well, I was adopted so, who knows? Although it's more likely I just have a Canadian doppelganger. You know, they say, on average, each person has seven people who look similar to them."

"What would you do if you found out you have a long lost twin?"

"Hm, probably ask her if she hates salt and vinegar chips as much as I do." Delphine laughed, shaking her head.

"No, really?"

"Well, I was kinda joking, but not really. As a biologist, I would probably start asking her what she likes, hates, has a passion for, likes to do for fun. How her childhood was, her economic situation, her education. You know, all that nature-nurture stuff. It fascinates me."

"Really? You wouldn't be freaked out, no that is not the right word, um, not freaked, but stunned? Surprised?"

"Well, yeah I guess, but having a twin isn't that extraordinary. I mean, I'd be surprised, but more excited. You know?"

"Yes, I think that I understand."

They reached the cafe and Cosima held the door open for Delphine. Delphine ordered the eggs benedict, Cosima an omelet. They ate and chatted for what felt like forever, almost forgetting they had more plans to carry out for the day. They were finally forced to relinquish their table when the place began to crowd with the lunch rush. Cosima sneakily paid for the check, slipping the waiter her credit card while Delphine searched for her own in her purse.

"Cosima," Delphine said in light irritation, "I am supposed to be the tour guide."

"Since when does that mean paying for the meals. In fact, it's the least I can do for the free tour." Delphine shook her head, feigning annoyance, but a moment later a smile broke out on her face, unable to resist Cosima's contagious grins.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Cosima inquired.

"Cosima, that is the fourth time you have asked me that. Do you think my answer is going to be any different." She heard Cosima sigh in impatience.

"Can you at least tell me if we are getting close?"

"Oui, we are almost there."

Five minutes later they had arrived at the Toronto Zoo, and Delphine found herself unable to stop admiring Cosima's face, her excitement, her whole being. In her stomach she felt the strange ache that comes with unsatisfied want, but want of what? Delphine didn't know for sure, but the more time she spent with the brunette, the more correlation she noticed between heart flutters and Cosima smiles, aches of want and Cosima laughs, bursts of inner warmth and Cosima skin on hers.

She didn't ponder the thoughts too long though, instead focusing her full attention on the girl bounding excitedly ahead to explore the new environment. Cosima paused, as if remembering she wasn't alone. Delphine loved the way she lost herself so easily. It was an ability of focus unique to her, Delphine decided. An enthusiasm that hijacked her entire presence.

"You took me to a zoo. A zoo!"

"Did I make a good choice?" Delphine asked, already knowing the answer, but asking anyway. Cosima just shook her head at the absurdity of the question.

"No, I hate it." Cosima responded in quick sarcasm. "Of course it was a good choice. When is the zoo the wrong choice?"

They roamed, viewing the exhibits with no plan or even a map. Delphine discovered Cosima had a fondness for penguins. And sloths. And lemurs. And tortoises.

As the day went on, Delphine realized what she first mistook as unique interest was really just routine knowledge for Cosima. She listed facts and recalled encounters with the animals at previous zoos, explained obscure knowledge and almost always paused to read the plaque assigned to each animal, even though she almost certainly knew everything it had to offer. Sometimes she would get carried away, grabbing Delphine by the hand and dragging her from exhibit to exhibit, and when she did Delphine would have to actively ignore the flips of her stomach.

At about two o'clock, they unanimously agreed to stop for ice cream. Cosima mentioned something about wishing they carried an ice cream called Eskimo pies, and when Delphine revealed her unfamiliarity with the treat, Cosima promised to introduce her to it: "Prepare yourself," she had said, "You're going to be a craving addict."

* * *

They were passing from one exhibit to another when they found their hands entangled, swinging loosely between them; not in a grasp of enthusiasm like it had been earlier when Cosima had dragged her around, but in a hold of comfort that neither felt like relinquishing. They didn't speak, just enjoyed the presence of the other, and in the back of her mind Delphine acknowledged how quickly it felt so normal. Just three days and she felt more comfortable with Cosima than she had with the majority of her former flames.

"Delphine," Cosima slowed to a stop, turning to face Delphine and tilting to look up at her.

"Yes?"

Cosima hesitated only a second before reaching up to press their lips together, questioning, yet sure, soft, yet commanding. Delphine froze in surprise, not quite closing her eyes. She didn't quite kiss back, but she didn't pull back either. Too many thoughts were flying through her mind for her to act one way or the other. She liked it, why did she like it? Why wouldn't she like it? But she isn't gay. But her heart was jumping in encouragement.

She pulled away.

"Um, I..." She couldn't get out a proper response.

"Oh, god, Delphine, did I just make a huge mistake?"

No, Delphine wanted to say, but her frazzled brain was still trying to process what had just happened.

"We, we should probably get back to the, er, the convention."

"Oh, yeah." Cosima bowed her head in embarrassment and disappointment. "Yeah, right."

The walk back to the hotel was awkward, to put it lightly. Delphine wanted to say something, explain that she just needed to think about things, figure out what was happening, but she couldn't bring herself to say another word. Cosima determinedly fixed her eyes on the ground in front of her and Delphine found herself gazing at her taut jaw, clenched tight in tension.

They parted ways at the hotel, Cosima heading toward the elevator, and Delphine wandering around the facilities, not wanting to be alone in her room out of fear for her sanity. As it turned out, being alone in public wasn't much better. Delphine was sure someone was going to approach her any moment to ask if she was all right, and suddenly she wished desperately to be in her room. She turned back to head towards the elevator when a man placed himself in front of her path.

"Hello Delphine."

"Leekie."

"How are things going with Cosima?"

"Fine." Leekie squinted at Delphine's quick response.

"Sure?" Delphine sensed his suspicion, but not wanting to explain the kiss to Leekie, she said the first excuse that came to her mind.

"Oui, I just, sorry I'm a bit, what is it? Frazzled, oui. I just saw someone who looked exactly like Cosima, I'm probably just seeing things." She offered with a smile.

"Really?" Suddenly Leekie's gaze intensified, and Delphine swore she saw fear flash in his eyes. Something about the change in his demeanor had Delphine regretting her cover up.

"Uh, yes."

"Where?" Delphine didn't want to continue on the topic, but she couldn't back out without causing more suspicion.

"In the hotel, near the elevator." What was she saying? She needed to shut up.

"Hm," Leekie's demeanor slipped back into its usual ease, but Delphine still noticed the tension in his jaw, the stiffness in his posture, "interesting, let me know if you see her again."

"Why?" Delphine felt compelled to ask, but she immediately regretted it. She had learned early on not to question Leekie.

"Oh, just, curiosity." He smiled to put her at ease, but Delphine's concern was anything but allayed.

* * *

"What do you mean you were recognized?" Alison's voice was shrill in her disbelief.

"_I_ wasn't recognized. My face was. They didn't say Beth, they said Cosima. Luckily, I was able to duck into the ice room and hide behind a vending machine."

"Who in the bloody hell is Cosima?" Sarah interjected.

"Well, that's the question isn't it." Beth said pointedly.

"Another clone, unbelievable. Un-be-liev-able." Alison emphasized each syllable.

"'ow many of us are there?" Sarah directed the question at Beth, who seemed to be in a more reasonable state at the moment, not that she would know the answer.

"No idea. But I think I should go back to the hotel-"

"What?" Alison looked shocked.

"Cosima is a unique name, if she happens to be staying at the hotel I can find out her room number from the front desk."

"And then what?" Alison asked.

"Well, we contact her. Have a welcome to clone club party and all that."

Alison groaned in annoyance, "Don't use that word."

Beth rolled her eyes, "You can deny what we are, but I won't. The sooner we face facts, the faster we get answers."

"And the sooner we go mad. All I want is normality in my life-"

"This is your new normal Alison. You know that. Just, deal with it okay?" Beth said the last bit softer, she understood the woman's coping mechanism, but things were getting too real to dance around with euphemisms and they were way past normal at this point.

"A'right then," Sarah said awkwardly, "So, Beth finds out the room and then what?"

"Well, I suppose I could go to her room, give her the brief overview, and then set up a meeting here for all of us to meet."

"Sounds simple enough."

Alison closed her eyes a moment before responding, "Okay. Text me with the details of the meeting. Did you find anything in Leekie's room?"

"Not really, I took pictures of some papers. It was all written in science language, kinda over my head. But if we can figure it out, I have the info, just need the decoder."

"So, basically, we just risked being caught for a bunch of mumbo jumbo. I'm going home. See you next time." Alison left Felix's loft and Beth followed soon after, mumbling a goodbye to Sarah, but before Beth could escape, Sarah spoke up, "Oi, Beth. You gotta make up with her. I don't think I can deal with pissed off Alison anymore."

"She's the one that messed things up Sarah."

"I know, I know. But, I don't know, work it out. We're in this together, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah you're damn right. I'll talk to her." Sarah smiled at Beth's signature frankness.

"A'right. Good luck tomorrow." Sarah's words chased Beth out the door.

"Thanks." The word was cut in half by the metal door shutting behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Things are about to get real. Once again, so much appreciation for the comments. They get me through, they really do.**

**IdonotownOrphanBlackoranyofthecharactersobvs**

Chapter 5: A Dream Come True, A Nightmare Too

Delphine.

Delphine knew it was a dream. It was one of those rare occasions where she had become self-aware for seemingly no reason. She knew what was happening, but she didn't stop it. She encouraged it.

She moaned, loudly, in surprise. Cosima's hands were everywhere, and one of them had found its way under Delphine's waistband. Delphine brought their lips back together, sloppily, but she needed contact, needed Cosima. She could feel Cosima's smile on her own.

"You're so wet." Delphine didn't respond, didn't need to. Her hips jerked up in response to Cosima's fingers, which were teasing circles through Delphine's underwear. Delphine wished she hadn't worn them.

"More." The word came out in a breath as she gasped. The moment it left her lips Cosima was gone. She let out a whine, eyes still closed.

"Cosima." She pleaded, but her beg fell on an empty room. She opened her eyes, exasperated, and stared at the ceiling, confusion fuddling her brain before realization washed over her. She felt cold sweat already formed on her skin and her breaths came out ragged. The clock told her it was two in the morning and she sighed, knowing she wouldn't be getting much sleep that night.

* * *

With the weekend over, the convention was in full swing. Delphine distracted herself with the lectures, but every time something interesting was introduced she found herself turning her head to discuss it with Cosima, or wondering what Cosima would have to say about it, or picturing Cosima smiling in wonder, or pouting deep in thought.

Sometimes she would spot her, sitting near the front, or walking in last minute, or debating about who knows what with fellow scientists. Delphine found herself getting lost in those moments, admiring the curve of her neck, or the blush on her cheek from her rush, or the way her hands flew in the air as an extension of her voice.

The more she stayed away from Cosima, the more she realized how much she wanted her. At first she only yearned for her friendship, but then she would remember what had skewed it. She remembered soft lips on her own, a firm hand cupping her cheek, the closeness of their faces when she had pulled away.

Her dreams echoed her want. Two nights in a row found her making out with the brunette in her sleep. But it was when she lied awake after these dreams that her inner conflict made itself known. The more she fretted over it though, the more trivial it seemed.

She had always considered herself straight, she hadn't even wondered about her sexuality in the past. Society's default had never felt wrong or out of place on her. She had had good relationships with boys in the past, loved them, even. But even her strongest feelings for a boy paled next to the ones she now felt for a girl, although it was barely fair to compare them. When she had fallen for boys, it was out of a comforting familiarity: not having to remind them how she took her coffee, not having to guide their hands during sex, not having to worry about looking like crap because she didn't feel like putting on makeup that day.

Cosima was different. Cosima understood her, and Cosima was exciting. Her enthusiasm about life, and newness, and people was infectious. When she ached for Cosima it wasn't out of a fear of loneliness, it was a raw craving for a person. And that, more than anything, was what scared Delphine.

But not enough to deter her forever.

* * *

The front desk was reluctant to release Cosima's room number, but with some exaggerated eye fluttering and accent thickening, the man conceded. Delphine made her way up to the twelfth floor with the squirmy anxiousness that so often accompanies anticipation. On her journey down the hallway she almost turned back, twice. When she got to Cosima's door she rose her hand to knock three times before actually getting the nerve to do it. The door opened and she still considered running straight for the elevator, but then Cosima smiled.

"Delphine, hey."

"Hi, can I..." She pointed at the room to finish the question.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, come in." She moved out of the way and beckoned Delphine inside.

"So," she continued, "sorry about the other day. I kind of have a thing for jumping to conclusions, I guess."

"No, no, it's okay, it's just, I..." She struggled with the English, not knowing how to communicate what she was feeling.

"You're not gay, I know." Still not knowing what to say, Delphine just nodded. It wasn't not true. They stood for a second, taking each other in, before Cosima spoke again, switching topics.

"Did you go to that presentation yesterday? On transgenic organ transplants?"

"Yes," Delphine wanted to say she saw her there, too, that she watched for mouth slip open in her focus, and her eyes light up with each new slide thrown onto the PowerPoint, "their extrapolation of murine models was...intriguing." Her teeth found her lip, while her eyes found Cosima's lips.

She looked down at her feet, mouth breaking out into a smile, and said, "It's good to finally meet someone who gets it, who gets...who gets me."

"Yeah, ditto, obvs." Delphine looked up and when words failed to come to her again, she gave up on them. She reached out to hold Cosima's face, rubbing her thumb over slightly chapped lips, before bringing their faces together.

She felt Cosima's hands travel up her arms before hooking around her neck. Her own hands traveled to the hem of Cosima's shirt, hesitating only a moment before pulling it off. Cosima followed her lead, and they took turns quickly getting each other undressed.

They collapsed onto the bed, Cosima hovering over Delphine. She tossed her glasses onto the bedside table before slipping her knee in between Delphine's legs, and the blonde moaned into their kiss, bringing her hands up to grip Cosima's hips. Cosima's hands were exploring every inch of Delphine's body, and her lips trailed down her chin, then her neck, then her breasts. Delphine's hips lifted in impatience and Cosima obliged the wordless request.

Cosima's hand moved back and forth under the undulation of her hips and she kissed the spot under Delphine's ear, before gently nipping at the lobe itself. Delphine groaned into her ear and Cosima smiled, pausing to adjust her hand before entering her. She thrust slowly at first, but quickened as Delphine's breaths became gasps and grunts. She didn't move when Delphine erupted into shakes, just slowly, deliberately kissed her way back up Delphine's neck and back to her mouth, before collapsing next to her, arm still draped over her waist. They fell asleep that way, entangled with each other; Delphine had never slept better in her life.

* * *

Delphine woke slowly, registering the warmth next to her as Cosima only after opening her eyes. Part of her still didn't believe it was true, thinking that her eyes were deceiving her. She brought her hand up to caress the very real face nuzzled on her shoulder, and she couldn't stop the grin that overtook her face.

"Morning." Cosima said without even opening her eyes. Delphine pulled her hand away in surprise.

"Bonjour." Cosima stared up at her groggily, a lazy grin spreading over her own features.

"So, I don't wanna make any assumptions, but that was totally encouraging." Delphine smiled, a light laugh escaping her lips.

"You know, I am never this hungry the morning after sex."

"Yeah?" Delphine nodded in confirmation. "I know there's a complimentary breakfast downstairs, wanna go raid it?"

"Oui."

"Okay." They didn't move for a time, just enjoying the moment awhile longer, but eventually the found their way out of bed, dressing slowly. Delphine collected the mess of her own clothes and waited for Cosima to pick out her own outfit. She was sitting on the edge of the bed when a knock sounded at the door.

"I'll get it." She told Cosima before making her way to the door. She pulled it open and went stiff. It was _her_.

"Shit." The lookalike said, "You're not Cosima."

"Who is it?" Cosima called out before appearing at Delphine's side. Delphine felt her freeze beside her.

"Hi, I'm Beth."

* * *

"I'm...concerned."

"About what?" Rachel had no patience for beating around the bush.

"I think two of the clones may be in contact." Rachel looked up from the paper she had been skimming and brought her full attention to the nervous man in front of her.

"And you think this, why?"

"Someone saw somebody who resembled Cosima at our hotel."

"Who saw somebody?"

"One of our researchers. Dr. Delphine Cormier. I told her to tell me if she saw her again." Rachel paused in thought.

"Look into it. Better to err on the side of caution."

"Of course. And if they have made contact?"

"Then we will take whatever measures necessary to amend the situation. But, first, confirm there is a situation to amend."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I hope, for your sake, it was a simple coincidence. I don't take screw-ups lightly Aldous."

"I know."

"Leave." Leekie left as quickly as he had come. Rachel held her breath a moment, hoping the itch would go away, but knowing it would only make it worse. She yanked open a drawer designated to tissues, bringing one to her mouth as she coughed crimson onto the bright white, eyes welling up with tears she wouldn't allow to fall.

"Shit."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow this update took the longest time. Sorry, life happened and I kept getting distracted whenever I tried to write because I'd read other fanfics for inspiration and yeah it took awhile. But it's here! The next one might take a little while, but I'll try to update soon! Okay thanks for reading and THANKS for comments and enjoy okay.**

**Chapter 6**: *Hagrid voice* Yer a clone Cosima

Elizabeth Childs. That was her name. She was a cop, a detective specifically. She didn't need glasses, Cosima found that fascinating.

Once Cosima had invited her in, or rather once she invited herself in, they made their way to the center of the room. The all stood their taking each other in: Beth looking around restlessly, her eyes flitting over everything out of habit, and her body always somewhat tensed, ready to fight; Cosima looking Beth up and down again and again, wanting to reach out and touch, test, see if her eyes were deceiving her; Delphine felt out of place, as if intruding on a strange reunion of sorts, but her intrigue rooted her to the floor.

"So you're Cosima Nie...what was it?" Beth pulled out a mini notepad and pen to scribble down the name.

"Niehaus, N-I-E-H-A-U-S."

"And who are you?" Beth tipped her pen in Delphine's direction with a wary look.

"Delphine." Cosima noticed the hesitation in her voice and managed to rip her eyes away from the puzzle in front of her to take in the blonde.

"Last name?"

"Um..." Cosima reached out, slipping her hand into Delphine's with a reassuring squeeze.

"She doesn't have to tell you that. Why do you need to know?" Cosima's attention was back on Beth, but her hand remained with Delphine.

"Look, I'm about to divulge some very classified shit. Real need to know. She shouldn't even be here, but if she is I'm gonna need to know her name. So, what is it?"

Delphine opened her mouth to reply, but Cosima beat her to it, "Beraud. Delphine Beraud." She wasn't sure where it had come from, it had slipped from her lips and floated through the open space, an unrecoverable sound wave settling on the detective's ears. Delphine turned her head in surprise, but said nothing, just nodded her head in cautious confirmation.

"Right. Beraud. Okay, so, not sure how to break this to you Niehaus, but we're clones." Cosima cocked her head, sticking her chin out, eyes squinting in question.

"Cloned like Dolly cloned?"

"Like who?"

"Dolly, the sheep, first mammal to be cloned."

"Well, I don't know much about that, but yeah. Cloned cloned. There's more of us, too." Beth's eyes shot to Delphine suspiciously, Cosima noticed, and gripped Delphine's hand tighter.

"How many?"

"More than zero and less than infinity. I'll tell you more later. Here." Beth pulled out a pink phone and handed it to Cosima. "I'll call you with the details of where we're meeting," she said turning to leave.

"Wait, wait, that's it?"

"For now. Oh, and don't talk about clone club." After a moment, she added: "And don't use the C-word, that's Ali-" she stopped mid-sentence before continuing, "that's one of the rules." The door swept behind her and silence settled in the room.

Delphine stared at the wall, not moving her eyes from where Beth had once stood. After a moment, she turned her head to check on the woman who had just found out she was a clone, and she found her smiling, not outright, but with the little wisps of wonder that paint her face during especially interesting presentations.

"Are you okay?"

"Wha-huh? Oh, yeah, yeah. I just, wow, that's a lot to take in, ya know?"

"Oui." She moved to stand directly in front of Cosima, bringing up the hand that wasn't entangled to cup Cosima's cheek, only to freeze halfway there.

"What is it?" Cosima's expression morphed into concern as Delphine stared at some point over her head, but far past the walls of her hotel room. Cosima watched as Delphine moved her lips soundlessly, looking for words.

"I knew. Dieu, I'm so stupid. I should have realized sooner. I was just so detached, my brain didn't make the connection. I know about the clones."

"What?"

"Clones, it's, merde, what do you say, top-secret? Oui. The DYAD institute, we are a lot further in our projects than we revealed in the presentation. Cloning isn't a possibility, we have already done it."

"Wait, and you didn't know I was one of them? We look strikingly similar you know?" Cosima's cheekiness bled through in even serious moments, and Delphine felt her lips twitch in a smile, but then remembered what she had meant to say.

"No, I only ever knew the numbers."

"The numbers?"

"Oui, each clone has a...tag. No names were ever used, no pictures. All I knew of the clones was what I could find in their DNA."

"I'm tagged? Like a, like a bird? Like an animal?" Cosima's face fell from wonder to hurt, and then, to realization. "Wait, from our DNA. You had access to my DNA? How? I never gave any blood samples away."

"I...I don't know. Once a month, sometimes more often, they dropped off samples in the lab and we ran tests. That's all I knew." Cosima's tension was apparent, her muscles only slacking in Delphine's hand, and Delphine just held tighter. "Cosima..." Delphine had meant to comfort, but no words came. Instead, she brought up her hand to cradle the brunette's cheek. For a moment, a microsecond, Cosima grew more tense, and Delphine feared she would push her away, and then Cosima was in her arms. They stayed that way for a while, holding tight, and then looser, and then just resting on each other, finding comfort in proximity.

Eventually, the subject of food came up. Cosima glanced at the clock and noted it was too late for complimentary breakfast. They seriously considered ordering room service and calling it a day, but they were both dressed and Delphine wanted to show Cosima one of her favorite cafes, so they departed, arms hooked, as if they would lose one another if they separated for any amount of time.

* * *

Cosima loved the way sunshine highlighted Delphine's curls. It created a certain glow around her that seemed to pull her in, beckoning her to come closer. That's what Cosima pondered as they waited for their food. When it arrived, she moved to her eyes, little orbs that could absorb and bend light in a way geologists probably wrote fanfiction about.

Throughout her careful observations, Cosima carried an enthusiastic conversation with the immunologist, losing herself in Delphine's words as much as she did in her appearance. By the time they had finished their meals, the whole genetic identicals revelation was fading into a tickle at the back of Cosima's mind, like a popcorn kernel that finds an unwelcome home in one's throat. She was enjoying the distraction as much as possible, figuring it wouldn't last long, but she didn't realize how short it would be.

"My two favorite ladies of biology." Leekie's voice chilled the air, causing both girls to shiver.

"Leekie." Delphine's voice was stiff.

"Funny running into you two here. I hope I'm not interrupting."

"No, but we were just about to leave." Delphine steered the conversation.

"Oh, well, I won't hold you up," Leekie sounded only slightly disappointed, "Just wanted to make sure you're both enjoying Toronto. Haven't happened upon anymore doppelgangers have we?" Leekie laughed, but his gaze became very intense, studying Cosima until she physically squirmed in her seat.

"What?" Cosima finally spoke up, figuring from Leekie's directed look that the question was for her. She played innocent. Now Leekie turned to Delphine.

"You didn't tell her?" Delphine shook her head, but Cosima was surprised her neck didn't snap from the tension. "I was referring to something Delphine told me. It's not important. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day." Leekie sent both of them one last tight smile and left.

"What did you tell him?" Cosima's voice came out in a hushed whisper.

"Nothing, I just told him I saw someone who looked like you at the hotel, I told him I was probably seeing things, I didn't realize... But...he may know more about the experiment than myself. In fact, I'm positive."

"So, you may have accidentally, unintentionally, told one the experimenters that the experiment may have become self-aware?" Delphine dropped her head into both her hands in frustration with herself.

"Merde."

* * *

It was later that day when Cosima got the call. Alone in her hotel room, her purse began ringing, and when she saw her phone was not the source, she pulled out the pink device Beth had given her.

"Hello?"

"Cosima."

"Yeah, is this Beth?"

"Yeah, are you alone?"

"Yup."

"Good, how's your memory?"

"What?"

"You're memory, good, bad, nonexistent."

"Well, I'm a PhD student and I know every element of the periodic table, but to be fair that's mostly because I hung a poster of it above my bed when I-"

"I was looking for 'good', not a dissertation on why you would beat an elephant at a memory match game."

"Oh, right, yeah. It's good"

"Okay." Beth proceeded to list off an address to a loft on a street Cosima had never heard of in a part of town she'd never been to, followed by a meeting time. "Repeat it back to me." Cosima obeyed.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow. And come alone."

"Wait-" Cosima didn't get to finish her inquiry.

"If you're about to ask if you can bring along that blonde puppy of yours, the answer is no." Cosima paused a moment, wondering if there was some psychic ability between clones, before responding.

"She already knows, I'm just going to tell her everything anyway."

"No." Beth's voice sounded like a growl, as if protecting something, and Cosima supposed she was. "I know you're new to this, but this world you're about to enter, it has rules. We have rules. One of those rules is that we vote, and if you want to bring around your two night stand you have to get it passed by a majority." Cosima scrunched up her face at "two night stand", wanting to argue, but knowing it was pointless. "So you'll come alone, and you won't repeat what happens to anyone."

"But she might know things."

"What?"

"Have you heard of the DYAD institute?"

"Yes. You have?"

"Yeah, Delphine works for them-"

"What." It was barely a question, more a demand for elaboration.

"She's an immunologist. She knows virtually nothing about the subjects-us-and didn't even know I was one of them. She just runs test on our blood, but-"

"I can't believe this. You may have put all of us in danger, do you understand that? Of course she told you she knows nothing. She could be a monitor!"

"A monitor?" Cosima cut in, but Beth continued as if she hadn't.

"Wait, blood? Our blood. Where did she get our blood?"

"She said they dropped it off every month, she never knew how they got it. But, what about monitors?"

"We have monitors, pretty much all of us, except Sar-. Never mind. We'll finish this conversation later, at the loft."

"Wait, can I bring her?"

"Definitely not. You've succeeded in making me more suspicious of her, and we still have to vote. Be at the loft, come alone, and don't talk about clone club." The phone cut out and Cosima threw it on the bed.

"Bitch."

* * *

"What's your report." Demand, not question.

"I have no reason to suspect they have made contact."

"What about what miss, miss, what was it?"

"Dr. Cormier." Leekie supplied.

"Yes, Ms. Cormier. What about what she saw?"

"It seems that was a fluke, or she really was seeing things."

Rachel, who was standing at the side of her desk, turned away from Leekie then, coughing into her hand. She quickly balled it into a fist.

"How is the research coming? On the respiratory defect?" She didn't turn back to him, fearing her lips may be stained with scarlet evidence, revealing her frailty.

"We're not making any progress. We need more samples."

"Then get them." Leekie squirmed, trying to build up the nerve to make the request.

"It would be...extremely helpful if you would provide some." Leekie's voice grew quieter until the last word was but a whisper.

Rachel rounded her desk, wiping at her mouth as inconspicuously as possible. If Leekie suspected anything he did not bring it up. She pulled out a drawer on her right and withdrew a handgun, handling it with as much indifference as someone retrieving a pen. She placed it deliberately on the desk, the barrel pointing at Leekie's sternum, and pulled her hand away.

"Do you know what happened to the last person who drew my blood?" She said it without malice, as if she was genuinely curious of Leekie's knowledge. Leekie's eyes fixed on the gun, his breathing slowly growing more erratic.

"On second thought, we're fine without your blood. Just fine."

"Yes, that's what I figured. Now, as far as the subjects being in contact, you have me worrying. Bring in the monitors for full questioning. And do it yourself, I don't need Olivier messing this up. I would do it, but that would be quite the shock to our dear watchers, wouldn't it?" She let out a light laugh and returned the gun to its usual place in the drawer. Leekie's exhale was probably audible several floors down.

"Of course." He didn't say anything else, afraid his words would get him shot. Rachel glanced up from where she was now sitting behind her desk.

"You're still here?"

Leekie made for the exit and Rachel closed her eyes. She sat there for what must have been five, ten minutes, back straight, head up, eyes closed, face blank. At some point, they began to fall, little, clear, liquid drops of weakness that danced on her eyelashes upon exit. They streaked her cheeks until she wiped them. Her posture never broke, and her face never emoted. If someone were watching, observing, they might not notice anything, especially if she buried her face in a pillow or blanket. Even years later, she held onto these habits, the ones made, not born.

She turned away from the window, another learned reflex, protecting herself from lab coats scrawling notes on little pads. She wiped at her cheeks one more time, and then, as if nothing had happened, returned to her work.


End file.
